JVI’s mission is to secure freedom, justice, and restoration for the poor and oppressed by strengthening ventures that promote justice. Our vision is to see unjust communities transformed into communities ordered according to God’s standard of love.

From the time we’ve planted Anchor City together, we’ve supported JVI through our Advent Conspiracy offering. In 2018, JVI has helped create over 2,700 stories of freedom and restoration. All gifts to JVI before the end of the year will be matched up to $100,000, so let’s continue to give generously!

Freely in Hope is a faith-based nonprofit organization focused on restoring dignity with survivors of sexual violence through holistic educational opportunities and platforms for dreams to be fulfilled.

This is our second year being able to support the good work of Freely In Hope — we’ve had the opportunity to hear from Founder and International Director Nikole Lim at Anchor City. Our giving will help Freely In Hope continue work such as holistic education: “We provide holistic educational opportunities for young women who are survivors of or vulnerable to sexual violence through academic scholarships, health care, safe housing, and trauma-based counseling. Freely in Hope scholars are high school or college students passionate about using their education to transform their communities toward a violence-free world. We equip our scholars to arise from oppression and achieve their academic dreams.”

Our Mission is to help nourish the spirit of the street homeless of San Diego County by providing dignity, hot food, and comfort. Burrito Boyz was created to honor our brothers and sisters during their struggles and provide them with a hot meal and water served with dignity and respect.

Several members of our Anchor City family, including youth group and NextGen families, have served with Burrito Boyz this year. We’re proud to give toward Burrito Boyz as our local Advent Conspiracy partner, and to help continue their streak of over 400 consecutive Sundays of serving others in need.

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How to Give

Checks can be written to Anchor City Church, with “Advent Conspiracy 2018” in the memo.

Advent Conspiracy is about the entire body of Christ at work in the world.As we worship fully, spend less, give more, and love all,
something begins to happen that is greater than any single
person, church, or denomination.

As the Church, we are telling the story of Jesus to the watching world.
Our prayer is that more churches join together to live out
the story of Jesus’ sacrificial love.

God is not finished with our world and He is inviting us
deeper into the Christmas story.

— from adventconspiracy.org

The season of Advent begins the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day — this year, Advent begins on Sunday, December 2nd. This is a season of watching & waiting, of expectation & hope. The word “advent” means “arrival” — we celebrate both the Incarnation of Jesus (that He arrived into the world that first Christmas day) and the return of Jesus, when He will arrive again to redeem, restore & renew all things.

Advent Conspiracy Partners

Anchor City is proud once again to participate in the Advent Conspiracy movement. This year, our Advent Conspiracy offering (happening on December 16th and 24th) will go to support these amazing partners:

The Advent Conspiracy movement has made several great resources available to help you grow in your love for Jesus and others during this season. Please click the images below to download these resources:

One of the values we teach at Anchor City is that our primary vocation (or calling) is being a child of God. This is our first and highest calling. This allows us to stay grounded in the fact that our value does not come from what we do but who we are – the beloved of God.

Our secondary vocation, then, is everything we do that helps us to live out this identity as a beloved person. It is an expression of our relationship with the One who loves us.

Below you can find links to view and download the study guides for our Home Group series on the Myths of Vocation:

Your love so great
Jesus in all things
I’ve seen a glimpse of Your heart

A billion years
Still I’ll be singing
How can I praise You enough?
How can I praise You enough?

You are the Lord Almighty
Outshining all the stars in glory
Your love is like the wildest ocean
Oh, nothing else compares

Creation calls
All to the Saviour
We are alive for Your praise

In earth and sky
No one is higher
Our God of wonders, You reign
Our God of wonders, You reign

Not to us, but to Your Name
We lift up all praise
Not to us, but to Your Name
We lift up all praise

Oceans

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown, where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep, my faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise, my soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours, and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You’ve never failed and You won’t start now

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters, wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger in the presence of my Savior

I love you, Lord
And I lift my voice
To worship You
Oh, my soul rejoice!
Take joy my King
In what You hear
Let it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear

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An artist knows that what you can see and observeis only the beginning of our journey to discover the world.

William Blake wrote:To see a world in a grain of sand
and heaven in a wild flower
Hold infinity in the palms of your hand
and eternity in an hour

Every work of art and poetry invites usto see a ‘world in a grain of sand’ and ‘heaven in a wild flower.’This perceptive exercise allows for another amazing experience.We actually can, by truly “seeing,” experience the possibilityof opening the “eyes of our hearts.”

— Makoto Fujimura

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I pray that the eyes of your heartmay be enlightened in order that you may knowthe hope to which he has called you,the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,and his incomparably great powerfor us who believe.

— Ephesians 1:18-19 —

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General questions to think about throughout the entire museum:

What do you like? (It’s okay to say “nothing” if that’s what you feel)

What speaks to you?How?

What do you see that helps you open “the eyes of your heart”?

What feelings (if any) do these pieces evoke? Positive? Negative?

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In any of these pieces, how do you see the Four Chapter Gospel? Individual chapters, the whole story, etc.?

Creation: Where do you see something that was lovingly made?

Fall: Is there a piece that expresses pain or brokenness visually, maybe even better than words would?

Restoration: Do you see any artwork that evokes forgiveness or healing?

Redemption: Which pieces give you sense of completion, wholeness, or hope?

As you look at the various pieces, think about scale, color, and materials. There are some really BIG pieces, as well as some small ones.

How do these pieces help you understand the qualities/characteristics of God? Perhaps you can think about the colors (gold & silver) or the size (the big pieces, and how you feel standing in front of them).

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At the Epic Tales of India exhibit:

Parental Guidance: Parents, please be aware that there are some pieces with themes and depictions that might not be appropriate for your kids.

Is there piece from this room where you see God’s truth expressed/reflected in some way?

Note: We are not saying that all religions are the same, but because God created the world, all creation can reflect some glimpses of His Truth.

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Upstairs, at the Art of Devotion exhibit:

Pastor Jeya will be in this area around 11:30 am — please feel free to ask her questions, look at a few pieces together, etc.

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Questions for kids (and the young at heart)!

Can you find these pieces? Where did you see them?

When you feel “found,” how does that make you feel (Think about if you’ve ever been lost, or if someone really knows you)?

Can you find a painting called Agnus Dei (“Lamb of God”)? What does the Bible say about Jesus as the Lamb of God?

Is there a piece of art that looks like you? Or, can you strike a similar pose?

Ask your parents to take you to the Visible Vaults: As you opened the drawers, what was something that surprised you? Can you draw it? Why was it fun to discover something new? In the world, what helps you discover or know God’s love more?

Are there works that remind you of Bible stories or God’s love for you?

For our younger children — let your kids show you what they want to see.

What do they see that you didn’t notice as an adult?

Ask, “What art do you like? Why? What don’t you like?”

If you see people in the artwork ask, “What are the expressions on their faces? Happy? Sad? How does that make you feel?”

Ask them to point out colors and shapes (but don’t touch!) and ask which ones do they like? Are there pieces they don’t like?

Share with them which ones you like and why.

Remind your kids that they are God’s beautiful artwork!

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Bonus! Find PJ’s favorite non-sacred piece (without running!) • Take a photo of it and show it to PJ — first person to correctly do so wins a prize! • Hint: We showed a picture of it on Sunday • If you need another hint, text PJ

Lift up your voices and lift up your praise
Join with the heavens declaring the wonders
Of His faithfulness forever

Sing of the victory, the hope of the world
The Saviour has risen, the Spirit has come to
Bring us into love forever

We are the people of God
With the freedom of hope in our hearts
How great is the love of the Father

Lifted from darkness and into the light
The sons and the daughters are loved at a price our
God has made us His forever

This is the song of the redeemed
The ransomed and the free
Given life at such a price
This is love, this is love

And when the Father calls us home
And we see Him on the throne
Hear the voices sing as one
This is love, this is love

Lord Most High

From the ends of the earth (From the ends of the earth)
From the depth of the sea (From the depth of the sea)
From the height of the heavens (From the height of the heaven)
Your name be praised

From the hearts of the weak (From the hearts of the weak)
From the shouts of the strong (From the shouts of the strong)
From the lips of all people (From the lips of all people)
This song we raise, Lord

Throughout the endless ages
You will be crowed with praises
Lord most high
Exalted in every nation
Soverign of all creation
Lord most high
Be magnified

Here I am to Worship

Light of the world
You stepped down into darkness
Opened my eyes, let me see
Beauty that made this heart adore You
Hope of a life spent with You

Here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that You’re my God
You’re altogether lovely
Altogether worthy
Altogether wonderful to me

King of all days
Oh so highly exalted
Glorious in heaven above
Humbly You came to the earth You created
All for love’s sake became poor

We will ALL gather in worship at 10:00 am at the Nobel Athletic Area & Library (search for 7301 Toscana Drive, San Diego in maps). Depending on your serving initiative, our worship gathering will either wrap up or begin your day.

Click the image below to read our latest newsletter, which has all the details and contact information!

In our journey through Scripture over the last several weeks, we’ve seen that God often gives dreams to His people not when things are going well, but in the midst of suffering, struggle, and pain.

Jacob was far from a “hero” for much of his life. Before his vision of a staircase connecting heaven and earth, he spent much of his life climbing and striving for the wrong goals. Because of his greed, enough was never enough. He deceived his older brother, stealing his birthright and his blessing. And, eventually, this life of deception caused him to flee for his life, leaving behind his father’s household and ending up alone in the desert.

But it is right there — in the middle of a lonely desert, on the run, with only a rock for a pillow — that God begins to speak to Jacob through a dream.

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In his dream, Jacob is taken to a thin place, where heaven meets earth. And, unlike Wayne’s World, this stairway to heaven is open and God begins to speak.

Even more miraculous than a vision of angels commuting back and forth between heaven and earth is the voice of God speaking. As God begins to speak, He first reminds Jacob of who He is:

It is in light of who God is that Jacob can understand who he is. Jacob is more than the sum of his mistakes and screw-ups, greater than his greed, created for more than the mess he’s made. God renews the promise He made to Abraham — for the blessing of innumerable descendants and that all peoples of the earth will be blessed through them.

To Jacob, to all the undeserving, God makes this promise:

You will never walk alone.

In all of our heartache and pain, in the darkness and grief of our broken world, God is with you.

We serve a God of grace, faithfulness, compassion, and unending love.

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This holy encounter changes Jacob’s life forever. His perspective is transformed. Jacob was given eyes to see what is real.

The episode entitled More or Less Human from the excellent podcast RadioLab contains a wonderful story about the power of changing your perspective. The work of neuroscientist Mavi Sanchez-Vives helps Josh Rothman, writer for the New Yorker, discover a new way of seeing himself (this segment begins around the 41:30 mark of the episode). He also wrote about the experience here.

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Is God meeting you in the midst of your hardship and pain? How is God opening your eyes to see from a new perspective?

The words from the art curator in this clip about Van Gogh are so powerful: “He transformed the pain of his tormented life into ecstatic beauty. Pain is easy to portray, (but it’s difficult) to use your passion and pain to portray the ecstasy and joy and magnificence of our world.”

Is God meeting you in a thin place in order to transform your pain into joy and magnificence for the life of the world around you? How can we speak and embody the faithful presence of God to our broken world?

This Sunday, we wrapped up our series, The Story of God, by seeing how the Holy Spirit is empowering us to join the mission of Christ here in San Diego and around the world.

Throughout Scripture, the people of God are called to remember and celebrate the faithfulness of God. But it’s not about dwelling in the past or getting stuck in bygone “glory days” like Uncle Rico.

As we learned together through the For the Life of the World series, this kind of remembrance is called anamnesis — the lived memory of the people of God. These kinds of moments bring together remembrance of the past as we seek to live out God’s calling in the present moment, eagerly anticipating and pointing toward the future renewal of all things.

The church’s celebration of Pentecost every year, then, is an invitation to join the movement of the Holy Spirit and to participate in the Story of God.

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Acts 2:2 describes the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit as a multisensory experience — “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.” The recent viral phenomenon of the audio clip where people either heard “Yanny” or “Laurel” highlights how different people can listen to the same thing and hear different things (just as many people misunderstood or missed out on the movement of the Holy Spirit on that Pentecost day). Some audiologists point to differences in equipment, recording quality, and expectations giving this audio clip a sort of “optical illusion for the ears” effect.

This quote, in particular, jumped out: ““What you hear depends on which frequencies your brain emphasizes.”

There are similarities to how we hear the voice of God in our lives. What frequencies are we emphasizing? If God spoke or the Holy Spirit moved in power, would we recognize Him? How are we training ourselves to listen for (and expect to hear) the voice of God in our everyday lives?

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The Holy Spirit chose to empower God’s people to speak in languages that others around could understand. The real miracle, perhaps, was not the “tongues of fire” coming to rest over each disciple but that God’s love for people is so great that He wants to speak their language.

Words have incredible power — they can speak life or death, build up or destroy a person’s life. In our homes, can we create new ways of speaking (especially to our children) that will create room for the Holy Spirit to move in their lives? Although it might be awkward at first, how would praying this kind of blessing over your kids each night change the way they see their relationship with you and with God?

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit reminds us of the Tower of Babel, but with several important differences.

At Babel, people wanted to build a tower to climb their way to heaven.
At Pentecost, we see the God of heaven reaching down to God’s people .

At Babel, the people clustered together in one place.
At Pentecost, God sends out His people to the ends of the earth.

At Babel, the people wanted to make themselves great.
At Pentecost, God’s people revealed the wonders of God to all.

It’s important to remember that the curse of Babel was not the diversity of languages but their confusion about communicating with each other. In a moment of beautiful redemption at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit affirms the gift of language and culture and overcomes the curse of our confusion by empowering God’s people to speak to people gathered from all corners of the earth.

What do we learn about God? God’s heart is to reach people of all cultures, languages, and ethnicities (this will be our future, after all). God embraces our differences and, instead of expecting others to change for us, empowers the people of God to adapt and learn to speak in ways that touch others’ hearts. God speaks your language, no matter who you are!

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Here is another question to consider this week: What words could someone you love say to you that would change your life? What words could you speak to someone you love that would change their lives? How is the Holy Spirit sending you into the world with words of life, grace, love, and hope?

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Peter, who was such a coward that he had rained down curses upon himself denying that he even knew Jesus, had been transformed by his encounter with the risen Lord. When the Holy Spirit moved in power at Pentecost, Peter was able to stand and proclaim the truth of Scripture to all who were gathered. His understanding was opened.

As the prophet Joel had prophesied, the Holy Spirit would be poured out on all of God’s people — young and old, women and men — to proclaim the Good News of Jesus to all people. While people may be more interested in building walls and limiting others, God loves diversity and calls all of His people to join His mission of redemption. Everyone is invited to participate in the Story of God.

Anchor City is blessed with many multicultural families and kids. As San Diego, our country, and our world become more and more diverse, theirs is the beautiful face of the future! And all of our kids (and each of us along with them) are learning to navigate multiple cultures in our rapidly-changing world. Our Third Culture identity is a gift of God to a broken world — we are given the privilege to be ambassadors of this life-changing Good News: God speaks your language!

As we continue through the Easter season, a week of Sundays, we have been journeying together through the resurrection of Jesus in the Story of God. Luke tells us a story of surprises, remembrance, and the Table that changes the world.

Jesus could have revealed His resurrection to whomever He chose. The fact that the first witnesses of the resurrection were women tells us something powerful about the Story of God and the Gospel. The culture of the time did not validate the testimony of women in court — and yet God gives them this Story to steward (and, as rings all too familiar today, the male disciples refused to believe them at first). From the outset, Jesus affirms the dignity and worth of all people, He raises up the oppressed, and reveals the upside-down power structure of the Kingdom of God. It was a tremendous act of “faith” on Jesus’ part: He believes in these women and their ability to carry out His mission.

As we consider what it means to be witnesses of the resurrection in our broken world, we’re called to follow in Jesus’ footsteps as people who listen, believe, and stand alongside those who suffer. Instead of immediately trying to explain things away or “wait to hear both sides,” how powerful would our witness be if we offered gifts of trust, friendship, and a willingness to stand by the side of those who are oppressed?

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Luke’s story of the resurrection is filled with surprises (plus the humor of the reader knowing Jesus is walking with the disciples along the path to Emmaus, but the disciples not realizing it at first). Some surprises change our lives forever. In fact, the surprise revealed at the table — as Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to these disciples — would change the course of these disciples’ lives (and the world).

When Gustavo Alvarez was 18, he was sent to prison for the first time. When he arrived, a group of guys from Gustavo’s old LA neighborhood took him to a common area and sat him down at a table.

“My heart was pounding through my chest,” he recalls. “I was just a kid and these guys were grown men — killers.”

They offered Gustavo (above left, in 2009) a plate of cheesy tacos — made by another prisoner. They wanted to get to know him — to figure out if they could trust him or not. And that shared meal was the way they did it.

How much more does the Table of Jesus offer hope and healing, as well as clear insight into who we are and what we’re called to do?

This week, consider the following questions:

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This encounter with Jesus on the Emmaus road not only turned these disciples’ lives upside-down, but it sets their hearts on fire with passion for God.

As described in the book Amazing Faith: The Authorized Biography of Bill Bright, Founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, Bill Bright’s life was changed when he committed to becoming part of the Fellowship of the Burning Heart.

Becky Tirabassi writes about this Fellowship:

(This developed) during a weekend teacher training conference led by Henrietta Mears, Sunday school teacher and mentor to hundreds of students at First Presbyterian Church in Hollywood.

One night during the retreat, Mears delivered a powerful message on being fully committed and “expendable” for Christ. Later in the evening, Bill felt compelled to go to Henrietta’s study room to talk and pray. Two other men, Richard C. Halverson and Louis H. Evans, Jr. felt similarly compelled, each on his own accord.

Without a plan or agenda, the informally assembled group of four was driven to their knees in prayer. They were overcome by God’s presence calling them to reach the world, especially college students, with the love of God.

Anointed through a vibrant encounter with the Holy Spirit, their prayer time produced untamed enthusiasm for the gospel and a plan for reaching students for Christ. Before they went their separate ways that night, they initiated the Fellowship of the Burning Heart. And they recorded on paper the lifetime commitments they made for the purpose of giving themselves entirely over to the God they loved.

The significance of the signed contract represented a powerful turning point in each of their lives, yet oddly, it has received little public attention beyond the pages of Bright’s biography.

The written contract read:

I am committed to the principle that Christian discipleship is sustained solely by God alone through His Spirit; that the abiding life of John 15 is His way of sustaining me. Therefore, I pledge myself to a disciplined devotional life in which I promise through prayer, Bible study, and devotional reading to give God not less that one continuous hour per day (Psalm 1).

I am committed to the principle that Christian Discipleship begins with Christian character. Therefore, I pledge myself to holy living that by a life of self-denial and self-discipline, I may emulate those Christ-like qualities of chastity and virtue which will magnify the Lord (Phil. 1:20-21).

I am committed to the principle that Discipleship exercises itself principally in the winning for the lost to Christ. Therefore, I pledge myself to seek every possible opportunity to witness, and to witness at every possible opportunity, to the end that I may be responsible for bringing at least one to Christ every 12 months (Matt. 28:19; Acts 1:8).

I am committed to the principle that Christian Discipleship demands nothing less than absolute consecration to Christ. Therefore, I present my body a living sacrifice, utterly abandoned to God. By this commitment, I will that God’s perfect will shall find complete expression in my life; and I offer myself in all sobriety to be expendable for Christ (Rom. 12:1-2; Phil 3:7-14)…

Consider how God was able to use the expendable lives of those who put their commitment to Him in writing that night:

Bill Bright went on to found Campus Crusade for Christ, which is estimated to have led well over fifty million people to Christ around the world.

Richard C. Halverson wrote twenty-six books and eventually became the chaplain of the United States Senate.

Louis H. Evans, Jr. authored a number of books and pastored churches around the country, including Bel Air Presbyterian Church and National Presbyterian Church in Washington D.C.

Henrietta Mears was the director of Christian education at First Presbyterian Church in Hollywood for thirty-five years, founder of Gospel Light Publishers and Forest Home Conference Center, and co-founder of Gospel Literature International.

While these were certainly extraordinary people, Scripture tells us that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is alive in us as well (Ephesians 1:19-20). Amazing Faith described their lives in this way: “In the Fellowship of the Burning Heart they recognized their calling to a life of expendability — saying no to self and yes to Christ, wherever that might lead.” What can God do with our open-ended “yes” to Jesus?

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Bonus! If you’re amazed or surprised by such things, enjoy these GIFs of skateboarding innovator Daewon Song: